Somali Pirates: Pirate Negotiator

Another excellent report from National Public Radio in After A Pirate Negotiation, A Personal Connection. Following negotiating the payment of ransom for a capture Danish ship, the pirate negotiator called the shipping company negotiator for a little post deal wrap up:

Mohammed says he gets something out of the relationship, too. He doesn't see himself as a pirate. He says he agreed to negotiate for pirates so he could learn enough about their business to start his own.

"If I become an expert on piracy and try to milk that, I think it is a legit business," he says. "The news media and global news media will need someone who is going to be an authority, to report from the inner feelings of a pirate, and to report whether pirates are going to stay around for a long time or not, and how to eliminate piracy."

Gullestrup sounds satisfied with that arrangement. "We tried to help him by giving him credentials as an expert in piracy locally, and he's trying to establish himself as a piracy consultant. It's a quid pro quo," he says. "It's not like we're bosom buddies. It's a business relationship."

That's one thing to keep in mind - for the pirate food chain, this is a business, shades of the Barbary Coast.